THE TRUE MOSSES 131 



easily be overlooked. Its colour is usually brownish, 

 with a violet cast, and it blends well with the colour of 

 the bark. It is small, and might be mistaken at first 

 sight for a tiny patch of rust. It has three rows of 

 leaves. Two are seen from above, the leaves being 

 rounded and overlapping; the third row is ventral, and 

 the leaves are specialized into toothed scales. The upper 

 leaves are two-lobed, one lobe being much smaller than 

 the other. This smaller lobe is folded back on the under 

 side of its principal, and forms a sort of pitcher. A 

 branch, examined under the microscope, on its under 

 side, gives the appearance of having a double row of 

 inverted pitchers. It is probable that these vessels are 

 for water-storage; but whether this is so or not, they 

 hold water, which is often sufficient to maintain a 

 Rotifer, an animal of microscopic proportions. It is 

 curious to find Rotifers in such a home. They doubt- 

 less find excellent shelter and sufficient food for their 

 small requirements; but there is no evidence to show 

 that they confer any benefit upon the plant, or that 

 they get anything from it more than shelter. 



Musci: The True Mosses. 



In the Mosses, which form the second Class of the 

 Bryophytes, we have subjects more familiar to the 

 average person, and if he does not have an intimate 

 knowledge of their anatomy and life-history, he at any 

 rate knows a Moss when he sees it, and may hold it in 

 some sentimental regard. He may even call to mind 

 Ruskin's panegyric on the Mosses: "Meek creatures! 

 the first mercy of the earth, visiting with hushed soft- 



